Siamo donne (Wir Frauen)

A varied omnibus film with and about four star actresses who impersonate themselves and provide insights ‘behind the scenes’. The self-reflective series begins with a fascinating pseudo-documentary episode about four up-and-coming hopefuls who take part in a talent contest at the Cinecittà studios: Will any of them become as famous as the actrices who subsequently perform what they claim to have experienced themselves? Alida Valli attends the engagement party of an assistant and realises how much fame separates her from ‘real’ life. Roberto Rosselini has his former wife Ingrid Bergman compete against a rooster attacking her roses in her own garden. Luigi Zampa's contribution shows Isa Miranda surrounded by her trophies (including an Oscar), but weighed down by loneliness. In the finale furioso, Luchino Visconti confronts a taxi driver with Anna Magnani's force of nature. (Christoph Huber)

Photo: Austrian Film Museum